


Bellissima

by rabidfan



Category: Stargate Atlantis
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-07
Updated: 2014-01-07
Packaged: 2018-01-07 20:21:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,319
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1123984
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rabidfan/pseuds/rabidfan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It was time to take matters into her own hands.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Bellissima

**Author's Note:**

> This isn't new. I'm re-posting all of my stuff here. From 2012 (?) SGA Reverse BigBang.

**Bellissima**

“Any time you want to spit out a ZPM or two…or make the gate connection to Earth so we can get supplies and reinforcements…that would be great. Just saying.” John ran an affectionate hand along the curved wall of the office he’d ‘inherited’ from Elizabeth. He was tired enough that he didn’t feel the usual foolishness at talking to the city. “Bellissima, we need some help here,” the endearment he reserved for his ‘talks’ with Atlantis was accompanied with another affectionate pat.

Sometimes he was sure the city heard him. She didn’t have much to say in reply, but she heard him.

His jaw cracked with another yawn. So tired. Bone-deep tired. John couldn’t remember when he wasn’t tired. It had to be sometime before the expedition left Earth, back when the burden of responsibility didn’t weigh so heavily on his shoulders. Five years in and after unimaginable losses, he wasn’t sure he’d ever feel rested again.

Hard to believe he was missing the days when he was considered a disposable screw-up.

“If things don’t start looking up for us here, Old Girl, we’re going to start dying off from exhaustion. At least it will beat starvation.”

Maybe he could just lean his head against the wall here and close his eyes. Just for a minute. He was asleep before his head made contact with the wall.

~*~

[Stop. Code error. Erase. Restart. Coding.] Deep in the bowels of the city, the matrix began a sequence and aborted, again and again. There wasn’t enough power to complete the tasks called for. Atlantis kept trying. 

[Stop. Code error. Erase. Restart. Coding.]

Atlantis was aware of JohnSheppard’s head resting on her plating. She could hear his thoughts as he slid into his rest pattern. They were dark thoughts; filled with the fears and worries he would never allow the others living within her to see. Perhaps it had been a miscalculation to cut off contact with the Terran outpost. Her justifiable worry that they would return and leave her abandoned again had seemed reason enough, but her people suffered now from the isolation. Atlantis knew that somewhere, deep down, the Terran male she believed to be her own, one she loved in her way, was aware of her. Aware and distrustful. She found that very painful.

It was time to take further steps. She could not correct things on her own…her power situation had grown dire…but she could arrange for the assistance she required. JohnSheppard would not cooperate with her plans, she knew him too well for that. But one of the others, the ones that spoke softly in the background, not clear and sharp as the internal voice she heard with JohnSheppard. She would contact one of the others. Steer that one in the path that must be followed.

She would continue to try to coax more power into the code matrix to facilitate what must be done.

[Coding.]

~*~

Rodney snapped awake, already snapping his fingers as the idea formed and took on clarity. “Of course! Of course!” He struggled out of the cocoon of blankets he’d wrapped himself in to ward off the cold. The environmentals would be back up to daytime levels soon and he’d be warm enough in his fleece sweater for now. 

He fumbled his radio into his ear and tapped the science channel open. “Zelenka! Zelenka, wake up, damn it! I’ve got it! I’ve got it!”

“Unless you have managed to synthesize coffee, you had better be a very bad dream.” Radek’s exhaustion was clear in his muffled voice. “You have coffee, Rodney?” he finished, hopefully.

“No, no, no. No coffee. Damn it, Radek, don’t go back to sleep! I need you in my lab right away. I need you to tell me if I’ve lost my mind.”

“Well, there is no need for me to leave my warm bed, then.” Rodney could hear Zelenka rustling himself out of bed. Good old, dependable Radek. “You have indeed lost your mind. What is it this time you’ve lost your mind over?”

“Just get to the lab and I’ll spell it out for you.”

“Should I call the Major?”

Rodney paused here. Tricky. 

“Let him sleep for now. Maybe after we talk we’ll have something concrete to tell him. But get Simpson and Miko. Hell, get Kavanaugh. We need to get a plan together and the more hands we have on it the better.”

~*~

John’s head jerked, painfully reconnecting with the wall plates when his communicator woke him from his fitful doze.

“Damn.”

“Sheppard,” he said, trying to keep his frustration out of his voice and rub the ache from the back of his head.

“John.” Sheppard cursed. Rodney never called him ‘John’ unless Atlantis was going to blow up. 

“Can you meet me in the conference room? Zelenka and I have something we want to run by you.”

“On my way.”

~*~

[Stop. Code error. Erase. Restart. Coding.] Deep in the bowels of the city, the matrix began a sequence and aborted, again and again. She still hadn’t harnessed enough power. She was going to have to start a rolling brownout. It would cause some uproar…perhaps some interference…but it couldn’t be helped. The plan was moving forward. More power was necessary.

[Stop. Code error. Erase. Restart. Coding. Reconfigure. Coding. Begin run.]

~*~

John was afraid that one day soon he’d just say one of the fucked up things that kept swirling around in his head. He worried that during one of these interminable meetings he’ll blurt out something he struggled to keep hidden and then he wouldn’t be able to stop the flow of horrible thoughts from geysering out of him until he was empty; spent. He was more than a little afraid that day would be today. He leaned further forward because he knew it would put Rodney on the defensive and resisted the urge to rub his eyes. Passive/aggressive, sure, but he needed the advantage and he was mean enough to take it.

“Let me get this straight.” He looked at each of the five scientists sitting around the table before returning his annoyed expression back on Rodney. It was gratifying to watch the other man lean back; pull away from the angry scrutiny. “You want to find the Replicator version of Elizabeth Weir and bring it back to Atlantis and thaw it out?” Six heads nodded like bobble-headed dolls. “Have you all lost your minds?”

“Look,” Rodney’s hands flew up in a peacekeeping gesture, “I know it sounds rash…”

“Rash?” John threw himself back in his seat. This was crazy. Rodney had to _know_ this was seriously crazy.

“Major…John.” Rodney cleared his throat and took a deep breath before trying again. “I know this sounds insane. I know! But we barely survived the latest Wraith attack and the power source on the Lagrangian Point satellite is all but depleted. It’s our best defense. I know you know this, of course you do, but Elizabeth knows all that the Asurans know about Atlantis and how to power her. They have a hive mind. She’ll know how to make ZedPM’s! We need her help, and we need to retrieve her while she’s still viable.”

John stood. Taking the time to calm himself, he looked each of the six idiots surrounding him in the eye, landing last of all at Rodney. 

“No.”

“John.”

Teyla’s calm presence was usually enough to soothe over the problems that had sprung up between John and Rodney. John wasn’t feeling particularly soothed at the moment.

“You can’t think this is a good idea, Teyla.”

“What I know is that we do not have the power to run the shields should the Wraith return. I know that, as Rodney has pointed out, our weapons platform is all but dead to us. I know that we have few, if any other, options at this time.”

John’s anger deflated. He knew all those things as well. They were all the reasons he hadn’t slept more than an hour or two for days. But the idea of a Replicator in his city made his gut twist.

“Ronon? You buying this too?”

“If you can give me a better idea, any thing else at all? I’m ready to follow your lead.”

“Ford?”

The young lieutenant shifted in his seat. He hadn’t been back in the power structure long and he didn’t want to get on his commander’s bad side but facts were facts. 

“We really don’t have any viable alternatives that I can see, Major. It’s your call.”

His call. He hated Elizabeth a little right then. Hated her for dying and leaving this shit pile to him. He rubbed his burning eyes and struggled against his knee-jerk reaction to just say no. He was saved from making any decision at all when the expedition’s resident chef hailed him.

“Major Sheppard, this is Sgt. Palmera. Miss Emmagen isn’t responding to her hail. Is she with you, sir?”

John tapped his earpiece to respond, nodding at Teyla to dismiss her from the meeting. “Our meeting ran over, Sgt. She’s on her way now.”

“Thank you sir. We appreciate the help.”

With the expedition so short on manpower one of John’s earliest orders had been that everyone living on base took their turn helping in the mess. It may not be a perfect solution (he’d heard one of the scientists say he’d rather eat his boot than Teyla’s goat loaf surprise) but it took some of the strain off the support staff. 

The Sergeant was a gentle giant of a man and cheerful with Teyla’s attempts to work through his recipes. 

“Never admit you made a mistake, ma’am. There are no mistakes, just unexpected opportunities. Like these; we _intended_ to leave the flour out of the cookies.” He’d held up the crunchy wheel of melted sugar, “See? Lace cookies. Very Continental.” Teyla had had no idea what ‘Continental’ meant but the Sergeant’s kindness had been remembered…and appreciated.

“We may as well dismiss for now.” John held up his hand to forestall Rodney’s coming rant. “I’ll think about it, Rodney.” Rodney’s scowl showed how much faith he had in that statement. “I’ll consider what you’ve all said. I can’t lie and say I think it’s a good idea but I admit that I don’t have a better one.” He stood, signaling the others to follow suit. “So I’ll think about it and I’ll have a decision for you by tomorrow’s briefing.” He started to gather his laptop and notes together. “Have a plan for containment for when, not if, this all goes to hell.”

~*~

Rodney paced in his quarters. Twelve large steps one way. Turn. Twelve large steps back. Over and over again while he mulled over his insane plan. 

It was insane. He was going insane. He was nearly positive that he was hearing voices. Still. Now that he had this shell of a plan he couldn’t let it go. He _had_ to retrieve Elizabeth. It puzzled him that he’d not thought of it before. He should have. All this time, the answers to their power issues was floating, frozen, in space. Just waiting for Rodney McKay to scoop her up and be the hero. 

John. John was usually the hero of Atlantis. There was no way he was going to approve the retrieval. He hated the Asurians too much. That animosity would blind him to the benefits of the plan. So it would be necessary to work around him. Just until the plan came together. Then he’d see the benefits.

John was, after all, an intelligent man. A reasonable man. 

He was going to kill Rodney. Rodney knew this. But he was going ahead with his crazy plan anyway.

He tapped his earpiece. “Chuck? I’m taking out Jumper 3. We did some repairs last week that we never signed off. I need an hour or so for a test flight. Log it for me, okay?”

“Sure, Dr. McKay. Want me to assign a pilot?”

“No. Not necessary. I’ll pilot and Dr. Zelenka will run the data. I could use the practice and we’re not going to push it. I am going to go through the space gate and back, though. I need to calibrate the Jumpers response to the wormhole.”

“Suit yourself. I’ve got you logged in Jumper 3 for one hour with Dr. Zelenka along as support. Radio contact every twenty minutes is standard for test flights. That okay with you?”

“Every twenty minutes. Check. I’m on my way to the Jumper bay now. I’ll contact you when we’re ready for takeoff.”

He was crazy. But he was going to try to save his city, save his friends. Even if it meant losing John. He couldn’t think about that right now.

“Radek”

“Yes, Rodney. I’m on my way to the Jumper bay now. Let’s get this insanity over with so we can see if it works.”

~*~

It took much longer to manage than Rodney could have believed possible. They should have brought along extra muscle. Finally, finally the frozen form still wearing Fran’s face was loaded into the cargo space. As soon as the little ship was completely pressurized they’d be on their way. Chuck’s calls had become more and more urgent as the hour had turned into two and now nearer to three. So far he’d held him off with technobabble but that wouldn’t last. The light on the console lit up, promising that the ship was fully habitable again. 

Time to move on to Phase Two. 

~*~

Rodney stared at the tarp-wrapped form on his lab table. All the fail-safes, bypasses and controls they’d been able to think up were in place. Now it was just a matter of waiting for the frozen body to thaw. He gestured to Simpson and Kavanaugh to unwrap the body and settled in to wait.

“What the hell is that thing doing here, McKay?”

“John.” Rodney lurched to his feet. Damn. He’d hoped that the thawing process would be well along before bringing John into the mix. He was going to have to do some fast talking.

“I told you I’d have an answer for you in the morning. You couldn’t wait 24 fucking hours before undermining my authority, Rodney? One damn day?”

“It’s too important to put off, and if you were a scientist you’d know that.” The look of fury on John’s face told him that he’d made a tactical error. 

“I’m sorry, that wasn’t what I meant to say.”

“Never mind what you meant. Let’s talk about what you _did_ instead. Let’s start with you taking a Jumper out under false pretenses and then skip along to bringing a potential threat to every person on this base without any sort of clearance from the rest of the command staff.” 

John stepped up, finger firmly planted in Rodney’s chest. “Start talking.”

“Look, I know you don’t want the so-called _burden of command_ , John. You’ve made that abundantly clear. But I came to you with this and you blew me off…” 

John pinched the bridge of his nose and hoped he’d manage to get through the day without McKay’s blood on his uniform. He didn’t have that many of them left and couldn’t afford to have one stuck in laundry.

John whirled around, stalking away only to turn back, stabbing his finger into Rodney’s chest again. Face to face, breath hissing between his teeth, he snarled, “Don’t. Just don’t. I didn’t blow you off. I, reasonably, said I’d consider it and let you know in the morning… _this_ morning.” He spun back to the door of the transporter as it opened and programed it for the command deck. Any plan he may have had to lure Rodney out of the lab and into bed were dashed. 

“Don’t make this about me, McKay. I’m not the one that brought a frozen Replicator back to Atlantis. I’m not the one who put all our lives at risk, again. How did you get it here without the sensors going off?” He flung a hand up when Rodney pulled in a breath to reply. 

“You know what? I don’t want to hear it. Save it. Just get rid of that thing before it melts. I mean it.” He looked long and hard into Rodney’s face. “Get it off Atlantis or I will. If it’s me that does the shifting? You’re going with it.”

~*~

Once John had stormed out of the lab there was a moment of frozen shock before everyone started talking at once. 

Miko wanted to run one last set of diagnostics before rewrapping the body for removal. Kavanaugh wanted to put some samples in stasis jars for further study. Simpson wanted to know where Sheppard intended to send Rodney when he threw him off Atlantis.

“Bite me.” Rodney sighed. Things could have gone better. Now all the work he and Radek had done would have to be repeated once John got over his snit. Next time he was bringing some of John’s big, hairy goons to do the grunt work. His back was beginning to stiffen up from all the activity. With another long-suffering sigh he pulled up one last set of figures to satisfy Miko.

“Rodney?” Radek looked over at his friend. “Is something wrong?” 

“I think we’re getting some activity here…” Rodney began. He jerked back when the once-frozen Nanite form abruptly sat up. When it/she (how was he supposed to _know_?) began to shift and reform he reached for his earpiece. He’d better let Sheppard know what was happening.

[Coding. Incoming data. Working.]

The now-active Nanites began to morph… shifting and changing rapidly. Where once the accumulated Nanites had resembled FRAN, now they’d reformed into the painfully familiar form of Elizabeth Weir. She looked blank at first; a moment of confusion, followed by the thin frown that Rodney knew was more concern than annoyance.

“Rodney. What have you done?” Elizabeth asked.

Rodney had just drawn in a breath to explain when the blank look returned to Elizabeth’s face. Again, it was just momentary, but this time there was no look of confusion when awareness returned.

“Fascinating.” She smiled at Rodney. “You’re worried what John is going to make of this. You should be. You should have told him. You know how he hates surprises.”

She stood up from the table, running her hand over the once-familiar surfaces of Lab One. “Still, when everything is explained to him fully, he’ll forgive you. In time.” Her eyes glazed over again. “So fascinating.” Then without further warning, the Nanite Elizabeth demolecularized and disappeared into the deck plates. Almost as soon as she’d disappeared, the lights faded to emergency level and the containment doors slammed shut, sealing the science staff in. 

Rodney and Zelenka stood silently, shocked, still, and stared at the spot Elizabeth had disappeared for a long moment.

“I think,” Radek began, “that the Major will be somewhat more upset than you originally bargained for.” He pushed his glasses up, seating them more firmly on his nose. “Yes?”

“Yeah,” Rodney wiped the sweat off his forehead. “Yeah, he’s going to be pissed.”

~ * ~

[Coding. Formatting. New data accepted. Working. Working. Beginning program.]

~ * ~

“Rodney!” John pounded on the lab doors. The Hazardous Material warning lights spiraled as the klaxons wailed, pushing John’s panic up several notches. “Rodney, get on your radio and tell me what the fuck is happening in there!”

~*~ 

Ronon circled around the man standing barefoot on the sparring mat in front of him. The eye. The eye was an evil omen. He’d tried to warn Sheppard but Earthers didn’t understand things the way they should if they wanted to survive. Ronon took a step closer, adjusting his stance to indicate his willingness to begin.

“You know I can practically hear you thinking.” Ford was philosophical about Ronon’s distrust. He didn’t actually blame him for it. He had been a danger to Atlantis…to those that had rescued and befriended the former runner. He wouldn’t tolerate a danger to them now. Ford was cool with that.

“I’m not really a threat to Sheppard, you know. Not now that I’m off the enzyme. But if it makes you feel better, you can glare at me all you like. And if I try to hurt him? You feel free to deck me.” He raised his sticks in the defense position and waited. He was good at waiting now.

Ronon had just raised his own Bantos rods into attack position when the alarm klaxons started up. He fumbled for his earpiece to get a report even as he and Ford sprinted out of the gym and towards the command deck.

~*~

All around the city systems were failing, a cascade of failures touching every system but for the shields and the air quality handlers. Heat, sewage, transporters, all but emergency lighting were victims of the mysterious brownouts. Doors were sealed over the labs while crews struggled to release the scientists and techs trapped within them. 

“Somebody shut that damn alarm off,” John bit out. It had been all that he’d feared. He’d acted too slowly and now that damn Replicator was in the guts of his city, doing God knows what. 

“Anybody getting any contact from those inside?” Ford asked. 

“Not so far. The construction engineers are on their way down with torches. If Atlantis doesn’t open up on her own we’re going to cut through.” In his head, where he felt less foolish, he directed the nasty addition that he wouldn’t be authorizing any repairs without some cooperation on her part.

No sooner had the thought formed when the doors of Lab One opened, with surprised faces exchanging looks on both sides. 

“Want to tell me what’s going on, Rodney?” Rodney cringed. That fake, ‘I’m so reasonable’ tone meant that he had no chance at all of convincing John he wasn’t to blame for this fiasco. 

Well, maybe he was. Somewhat. 

“Maybe we should get all the department heads together so we only have to go over this once?”

~*~

“If you would all just sit down and shut up we can get started so we don’t all die before we figure out how to solve whatever the hell it is that happened.” John turned his angry glare at Rodney. 

“You start. Ah, ah,” he waved a finger at the blustering scientist. “No excuses. Just facts. Think you can handle that?”

Rodney pressed his lips together to keep from protesting. Breathe in. Clear blue skies. Think of clear blue skies. Breathe out. 

“As you already know, I took it upon myself to bring Elizabeth back to the city. Well, the Nanite version of Elizabeth. Well, she was FRAN, but really Elizabeth…”

“Rodney!”

“Yes, yes. What I’m trying to say that this is my doing, Sheppard. Mine! My staff was following my orders. You are angry; I understand that. I deserve that. My staff doesn’t. Any punishment you want to administer is mine, not theirs. There.” 

Rodney crossed his arms over his chest. A gesture John knew meant he was miserable and defensive. He refused to be moved by it. 

He sighed. “I don’t want to punish anyone, Rodney. I want the city to be safe. So tell me you have a plan for that.” He looked at each scientist in turn, ending with Rodney.

“Tell me how we get it out, Rodney. That’s what I want.” 

The scientists shifted in their seats, all eyes downcast. 

“Rodney.”

“See, the thing is, I, that is we don’t actually _know_ how to get her out. Or even if it’s possible to do so.”

That was the conclusion John had already come to so he was able to keep from leaping across the table and strangling Rodney. Just.

“Then, boys and girls, you’d better figure out how to turn the Nanites off because…” he paused when the conference room was plunged into darkness. “Things are getting worse.”

The emergency lighting flickered on, and sputtered briefly before finally stabilizing. John slowly let his breath out. “We’re getting reports from all over the city. Things are going to hell, Rodney. Just. Just give me what you’ve got.”

“We were disconnecting the leads and monitors from Elizabeth like you ordered. We were moving along as fast as possible to get her back into vacuum. We just weren’t fast enough.” Rodney winced. “There was no way she could have defrosted enough to demolecularize, but that’s exactly what she did. Straight through the deck plates. Almost immediately she began to interface with the mainframe.” He hazarded a look at Zelenka. “We really don’t have any idea at this time how to separate her from the command crystal matrix.”

John ran a hand over his face in frustration. They could argue the wrongs and rights of this forever. It wouldn’t solve anything.

“Best guess. What does she want?”

The group of scientists all shared baffled looks. 

“We don’t know that, either.” Rodney snapped his fingers.

“But I think I know a way to find out.”

~*~

[Coding. New directives accepted. Rerouting power matrix. Coding. Interfacing with Intercedere programming. Applying new parameters. Working. Working.]

~*~

“Stop pacing, you’re scaring my minions.” Rodney entered the last of the code he thought was needed. Time to attempt a connection. “Are you ready?” Fearfully glancing up at the fluctuating lights, Rodney checked once again to ensure steady power was going to the chair.

Sheppard took position in the command chair and put his hands on the gel pads, ready to interface when instructed to do so.

“Now.”

John pushed his hands into the pads and felt the neural interface form. The usual hazy communion he experienced with Atlantis was noticeably more acute. Clear, concise images flooded his mind. Atlantis was very much alive, eager to communicate; delighted that she had at long last an Intercedere so that was possible. 

“My own,” he heard. “My beloved child. I have longed to let you hear my thoughts, JohnSheppard. Now you will.” Wrapped in the embrace of the neural interface, John slid deeper and deeper into the biorhythms of the ciy, cut off and unaware of the tumult surrounding him or the time that passed.

“John!” Rodney gently shook Sheppard. “John, come out of it! Come back!” Panicing now, fearful that he’d caused some sort of injury to his friend (so much more than a friend, he prayed. Please. Let him be alright.) “Come on, John.” He sighed with relief when John’s eyes opened, hazy, confused but alive.

“What happened?”

“The chair activated but it wasn’t the normal interface with the tech. You zoned out almost immediately and we couldn’t pull you out even when we shut the chair down.” Rodney gently tugged Sheppard up and out of the chair, fearing that somehow it would pull John back under. “I’m sorry, John. I have no idea what went wrong. It shouldn’t have been harmful to you.”

“I’m alright. Just a little dizzy. Atlantis. I think it was Atlantis. She spoke to me.”

“Atlantis spoke to you?” Rodney turned the man towards the doors. He needed to get him to Carson. Clearly he was injured more than either man thought. “Atlantis is a machine. A very cool, advanced machine, but a machine.”

“So are the Asurans, Rodney. We talked to them plenty. She said she could talk to me now because she had an Intercedere…what ever that is. She’s sentient, Rodney. And desperate to communicate. We need to figure out how to do that without scrambling anyone’s brains.” 

“Perhaps I can assist you with that.” All conversation stopped as the flickering image of Elizabeth Weir suddenly appeared in their midst.

“Hello, my friends.” She took time to look at each one of the people crowding into the small room. Saw the exhaustion, the thin frames, the worn clothing. She was glad that Atlantis had stepped in. The help she could give these people would mean the survival of the galaxy…perhaps two galaxies. 

“It is so good to see you all. I’ve missed you, each and every one of you.”

She turned, facing the core of the team she’d worked with as a living woman. Loving them still, and amazed that it was possible. “Atlantis has joined my nanites to herself. She has repurposed them to form a sort of translation program so that she can more fully communicate with you.”

“She has much to tell you. Shall we get started?”

~*~

Regrouped in the main conference room, the heads of the science departments and the command staff listened while Elizabeth outlined Atlantis’ plans for their survival. The scientists were giddy, the military wary.

“So you’re telling me that all this time the info for recharging and manufacturing ZPM’s was on Athos? I hate to be the one to remind you but Athos was destroyed by the Wraith when we first got here. Nothing viable left. I’m pretty sure we’d have noticed the random energy spikes of a few ZPMs lying around. So would the Wraith.” John allowed himself to sink back into the chair he’d vacated for his rant. The room was beginning to spin. If he didn’t get some sleep soon he was going to face-plant. He figured being closer to the floor for that would be better than standing.

The ghostly form of Elisabeth had waited out the rant. She approved when John wearily lowered himself into a chair. He needed sleep. They all needed sleep. She recognized the edge of exhaustion there, the undeniable fact that John was just hours away from dropping and not getting back up. Soon. Soon it would be safe for them all to rest. 

When it seemed John had said what he intended to she stepped forward. 

“The facility I speak of is indeed on Athos. It is well shielded, of course, but I can and will tell you how to over-ride them. It is located in a system of caverns carved out millennia ago by the original Gate builders. A people far different than the Ancients you’ve encountered since.” She directed her gaze at Teyla. “You remember these caverns, don’t you? You took John there when he arrived on Athos with Colonel Sumner.”

“Yes. Yes, of course. Do you remember them, John? You mentioned the wall carvings. We didn’t have time to fully explore them then. We intended to return after you’d had a chance to report to your superiors.” That had never happened. The Wraith had come. They’d come and destroyed her world. 

“I remember. I felt the tickle of Ancient tech, though I didn’t realize that was what it was at the time. I didn’t remember that part until now.” John’s brow creased with concentration. “It was there…just a whisper. I thought it was nerves.”

“So there was power there…enough to keep us safe, keep us alive all this time? And Atlantis couldn’t find a way to let us know about this over the past five years? She’s managed to interfere in enough other areas, so I’m not buying that.”

“Atlantis has…nudged…from time to time. But to her great distress she has lacked the ability to speak clearly to you. Even you, John, whom she feels especially close to.” She held up a hand to forestall another rant. “Atlantis was never meant to interact with those living within her,” Elizebeth ran her fingertips along a section of bulkhead; tiny arcs of light passing back and forth between the two. Communication? Communion? John didn’t have a clue. 

He added it to the hundreds of things about this setup that made his stomach cramp.

“There was always to be an Intercedere, one who would act as an interpretor between the city and her people.” She smiled, head cocked to the side, so like the living Elizabeth. “And with my nanites new programming, that role is now mine.” She rested her hand once more against the bulkhead, then straightened. “She speaks to me in the language of vessels such as herself. I understand that language now that I’m part a part of her. I will, in turn, translate what she has to say so that you and the others can understand her.”

“And we just go with blind faith that you’re going to act in our best interests?” John shot a glare at Rodney when he started to complain about the tack he’d taken.

Elizabeth didn’t seem fazed by his hostility. 

“No, John. You were never credulous before, it would be out of character for you to be so now.” She moved away from the wall and sat back in the chair the SFs had encouraged her to sit in at the beginning of the meeting. “I can only give you my word that I mean you no harm. If I did, I would have taken the opportunity to do so when we first met. Instead, I led those that _would_ harm you away from Atlantis without expecting anything for myself.” 

Rodney had remained silent as long as he could. “There are charged ZedPMs available? And we’ll be able to make more? And recharge the ones we have? What about the power cells on the Lagrangian Point satelite? And why do you always refer to us as ‘the others’ and John like his name is in capitals?”

Elizabeth laughed. It seemed to startle her more than it did the rest. “Oh, Rodney. How I’ve missed you. Never change!”

“Atlantis can hear John, as it were, so much more clearly than she can the rest of you. No doubt it’s the strength of the Ancienct gene that makes that possible. The artificial gene that you developed, Carson, while brilliant and a source of interest to her, didn’t seem to increase ease of communication.”

“So she has a special fondness for you, John, just as you do for her. She wished to know what ‘Bellimissia’ means. She was…touched when I explained it to her.” Seeing his discomfort with that revelation, she shrugged. “You’ll just have to live with that.”

She reached over and laid her hand over John’s. He could see his own flesh beneath the holo of hers. He managed not to flinch. “In large part I retain your Elizabeth’s emotional connection to you, to Rodney, Radek, Aidan, Teyla…to all those she knew and loved. I will not harm you, any of you. Even if I inteded to Atlantis wouldn’t allow it. I know that isn’t enough to reassure you. I understand.” She sat back, breaking contact. “So with nothing better to suggest, why don’t you let these nice young men follow me around for a while longer…as long as necessary for that knot in your gut to untie.”

“There is something else for you to think about,” she looked over at Teyla.

“Athos, as indeed most of Pegasus, was terraformed by the gate builders. Their technology, tools and plans are all safely stored in similar depositories throughout this galaxy and the Milky Way. All will be made available to you, John, if you give Atlantis your word that you will not turn over what you find to your former superiors on Terra Prime. You can be their benefactor…share the benefits of the gifts you are about to receive…but she will not allow the core information and technology to leave her control. She shares with you, John. You belong to her just as she belongs to you. She doesn’t know or trust those of Terra Prime.”

“Terra Prime being Earth? I’m not sure I trust them after all this time, either.” John turned to look at Teyla and Ronon for a long moment before speaking. He thought of the Hoffan remnant that lived on the mainland with the Athosians and the hundreds of other societies forced to relocate after the Wraith had brought destruction to their homes. “We can rebuild their worlds?” It was painfully difficult to look at the hope on his friends faces.

“Yes. Rebuild, restore. What was once done can be done again once the power situation is handled. You must decide what you will do, John. I can only give you the information Atlantis wants to share.”

John stood, shoulders squared. “I want my team, Stackhouse, Markham, Rigsby and Conover in the Jumper bay in twenty. Fast in, fast out. Rodney, link us up with our interpreter here. We may need more intel once we reach the shield. Pick two of you minions to come with and have them in field gear, ready to go and on time.”

“Twenty minutes may not be enough time to jury-rig an interface…” Rodney cut himself off after looking at John. “I’ll figure it out.”

“Gear up.”

~*~

Coming through the wormhole and into the Athosian sunrise was bittersweet. Teyla felt the tears gather and willed them not to fall. She would cling to the promise of rebuilding. She would get through this mission with her dignity intact.

She let her senses stretch…let her mind open. She felt no ripples that would indicate the presence of the Wraith. She knew that meant only that they weren’t on this part of the planet. It would have to be enough to get to the caves and retrieve the data.

“I do not sense the Wraith, John. That does not mean they are not monitoring the gate. We should work quickly.”

“Agreed.” John gestured to the scientists, “Stay in the center of the group. Do not push ahead once we make the caverns. Do not proceed with anything until I give you the all clear. Got it?” Rodney rolled his eyes but the other two scientists nodded their heads. 

“Ford? Take point. Ronon? You’ve got our six. Let’s move, people.”

~*~

“The cave is just ahead, Doctor.” Teyla helped Miko up from where she’d tripped yet again over the tree roots. The massive trees were just some of the victims of the last Wraith attack on her world. “It will be smoother going once we get to it.”

“Thank you, Miss Teyla. You are most kind.” Miko adjusted her glasses and checked to make sure she hadn’t damaged her tablet during her fall. She wasn’t used to off-world travel. She found it very stressful.

Ronon stepped forward to adjust her backpack, smiling gently when she jumped in surprise. “You okay?” 

“Yes. Thank you, Mr. Dex. I am fine.” Miko smiled timidly back. Oh, my, she thought. How delicious.

“Stop flirting with my scientist, Caveman,” Rodney snapped. “She’ll be useless all afternoon.”

“Can it, people.” John looked at Teyla. She was looking a little stressed. “Anything?”

“I am not sure. Please. Can we hurry?”

“Yeah.” He touched his earpiece, “Atlantis base, we’ve reached the caverns and are entering now. No contact with unfriendlies so far but we’re getting some strange vibes. See anything?”

“Negative, Major. Nothing’s showing so far. We’ll keep looking.”

“Roger that. Sheppard out.” He gestured to the civilians. “Stay here with Ford. Teyla, Ronon and I will check out the first cavern and then pull everyone inside, just in case.” He turned to Ford, “Anything happens, hightail it back to the jumper. Call ahead so Conover can have it fired up for you. Just get their asses off planet then come back for us, got it?”

“Yes sir.”

“Let’s go spelunking, shall we?”

~*~

The cave entrance opened into a large area with a high ceiling. Smaller tunnels lead off in several directions, one of them literally calling to John. That would be the first branch to investigate.

The immediate area seemed free from hazards so Sheppard stepped back out to bring the scientists in. 

“Stay with Ford,” was his only instruction. He signaled the Marines guarding the jumper, “Cloak the Jumper, gentlemen. We’re ready to start our search. We’ll contact you in twenty.”

“Ford, keep the scientists with you. Rodney, you’re with me. Ronon, you’ve got our six. Let’s go slowly, people. This place has been abandoned a long time.”

Rodney stepped up next to Sheppard. “Do you feel anything,” he asked?

“Yeah. Some. Let’s see if you’re worth your big salary, Rodney. The shield should be here, I can feel it, see if you can find the control panel and shut it down.”

Rodney pulled his tablet out of its sleeve and started typing. “There’s something. I can see…yes! There.” He waved the tablet over a seemingly blank area of rock wall. “Just give me a…” he fumbled a moment with the tablet and his tool kit before handing the tablet to Ronon. He pulled out a small scanner and ran it over the section of wall once, then again. Making some alterations to the small devices program, he repeated the scan of the wall and with a small ‘pop’ the shield fell away, displaying a large, well equipped lab space.

“Oh, now that is impressive.” Rodney’s reverential whisper made John smile. Yeah. Pretty damn impressive. ZPMs. Multiple…looked like a half dozen, maybe more back in the shadows. John hoped that at least one of them was fully powered.

“Get those babies loaded up. We need to get moving.”

Rodney started to protest, “We haven’t begun to look through the information here, Sheppard. We can’t possibly leave yet.”

John flicked a glance over to where Teyla stood, hunched and worried. “We’ll come back after we see if those things can give us some shields and better sensors, Rodney. Right now? We move.”

~*~

Teyla’s unease grew as she watched the scientists load the precious power sources into the padded containers they’d brought. Hurry, hurry, hurry, she thought. Faster. Please move faster. 

“John. We must leave. We must leave now! We can return for the rest. Please. Let us restore the shield and get back to the Jumper.”

As he’d learned long ago to trust her urgings, John didn’t need a second request. “Close it up. Let’s go.”

Rodney cast a sorrowful look at the remaining ZedPMs on the racks; the consoles as yet untouched but moved to comply. He trusted Teyla’s instincts as well.

“We’re ready, John.”

Once everyone was back in the main cavern John allowed his mind to interface with the shield, easily reengaging it, watching as the lab disappeared behind a wall of gray rock. “Weird.”

“Ford, keep the scientists with you. Teyla, you’re with Ford. Ronon, take our six. Let’s move. Once we start out do not stop, do not slow down. Get back to the Jumper. If we run into an unfriendly Ronon and I will take care of it. Clear?” At the affirmative nods all around John set off to the mouth of the cave. 

“Conover? Get the Jumper ready to take off. We don’t see anything hinky but I’ve got a twitch. Keep alert and be ready. We’re on our way back…ten minutes.”

“Roger that, sir. Do you want me to send Rigsby to meet you?”

“Negative. Hold the Jumper. Keep the cloak on. Sheppard out.”

~*~

Teyla righted Miko again. She was determined to get the clumsy woman into the gym when they returned to Atlantis. She really needed to gain some balance and agility. Right now, all she cared about was getting her back to the Jumper safely. 

They were making good time. She hoped it was good enough.

John turned back to look at her. “Anything,” he asked? 

“I am not sure. I fear that the Wraith are near by but I do not believe they are in this immediate vicinity.” She hoped that was true.

“Just a few more minutes…we’re almost there.”

Teyla sighed with relief when she recognized the copse of trees where the Jumper sat, undetected. Safe. Her charges were safe. Now to get them back to Atlantis.

“Sheppard, this is Atlantis base, how do you read?”

“Sheppard here. Anything on the sensors?” 

“Sir. We’ve got some anomalous readings here that we can’t explain. Nothing clear but we’re concerned.”

“Keep monitoring, Sergeant. We’re in the Jumper now, ready to launch. Let me know if something pops.”

“Wraith. John, there are Wraith near.” Teyla laid a hand on John’s shoulder. “We must hurry before they hold the gate.”

“Yeah, good plan.” He engaged the little crafts engines. “Hold tight, boys and girls. This may get ugly.” With out further ado he launched the Jumper and streaked off to the gate. “Dial it up, Ford. Take us the long way.”

“Yes, sir.” Ford dialed one of the safe addresses they’d set up for times like theses. Uninhabited worlds that they could skip through until they’d lost their pursuers. Darts appeared and started firing randomly, hoping for a lucky shot, as the gate flared to life. Undetected, the Jumper slipped through. They’d exit and redial again and again until the last of the darts gave up or where shot out of the sky.

Then they’d go home. And hope that it had all been worthwhile. 

~*~

The three hours the science staff had required to clean, examine, test and install the three ZPMs needed to fully power the city were among the longest hours of John Sheppard’s life. Every second that passed he expected a Hive ship to appear in orbit. Every random blip on the sensor sweep made his heart pound. After an eternity of stress, Rodney signaled that they were ready to power up. 

No one was prepared for the dazzling display of joy that was Atlantis. The emergency lights winked off as the main lights slowly gained in power, causing John’s eyes to burn. He’d gotten used to the low-light conditions of the last few months. All the fresh, wonderful power was going to take some getting used to.

“Why didn’t we see that scout ship when it came in system?” John demanded. “We’ve always been able to see threats that close to us, even with the power depletion issues we’ve had. If not for Teyla’s ability to sense the Wraith they would have caught us completely off guard.” He shot a hot look over to Rodney, “What the hell went wrong?”

“It would appear the sensors were one of the things that Atlantis sacrificed for more power to program her Intercedere.” Rodney scowled. “Apparently it was that or the last of the environmentals. Elizabeth says Atlantis is sorry.” The scowl deepened. “Sorry. We could have been a Wraith snack and they could have all these ZedPMs. Not a happy thought.”

“I’m assuming we have full sensors now? And weapons?” John hoped they had a way to make more drones. That would be so cool.

“Weapons, full environmental, and hey!” Happy finger snapping. “Elizabeth is handling the powering of the weapons platform remotely. It will be fully operational in ten hours.”

Oh, that was very cool. “Good. No zero G suits.” John walked over to the sensor tech that’d been trying to gain his attention. “Well, Wingate, what’s out there?” John watched Rodney as he all-but skipped off to the now functioning transporters. Cute.

“Major, we have two Wraith Cruisers just outside our previous sensor range. They’re not advancing but their weapons are charged. They’re just…drifting. Probably keeping their power signatures low to fool our sensors.” She squirmed in her seat. “And they did, until we got the new ZPMs in.” At least now they had power. Shields. That was something.

“Atlantis?” 

Elizabeth appeared in an instant, far more substantial looking now that Atlantis was reveling in power. “Yes, John?”

“We’ve got Wraith Cruisers in orbit. What do we have in offensive firepower left?”

“The Lagrangian Point weapons platform is partially charged. If it is necessary to move the platform for defense it may drain what power it has accumulated. However, if the Wraith ships continue to drift they will be in weapons range in thirty-seven minutes. There is more than enough power stored at this time to destroy both vessels. Atlantis can, and will, begin production of drones but there are less than twenty at this time, with an additional fifteen spread between the Jumpers.”

“Atlantis recommends that you remove the drones from the Jumpers and rack them with her remaining stores. She will assist you in firing accuracy should it become necessary.”

John nodded. Keying his radio he called down to Lab One. “Rodney, have the drones taken off the Jumpers and rack them with the stores in the weapons bay. Put as many people on it as necessary to get it done fast. We’ve got two Wraith Cruisers in system.”

“Damn, damn, damn. I’m on it. It’s going to take time, no matter how many I pull.”

“I know. Just get it done. I’m going to the chair room. Sheppard out.”

~*~

“Twelve minutes until the Wraith ships reach the kill zone.” Elizabeth reported. She paused briefly, interacting with Atlantis. “Atlantis tells me that the Wraith ships are beginning their power-up cycle. We’ve run out of time.”

“Damn.” John struggled to come up with a delaying tactic. While the shields would hold, it was possible that the Wraith would call for reinforcements. They needed to take them out, and quickly.

“I’m going to take out a Jumper and try to draw them closer to the platform.” He turned to Elizabeth. “We’re sure they can’t see through the platforms cloak? They don’t know it’s there.”

“They give no indication of knowing the weapons platform is there. There is no way to be sure. John, taking a defenseless Jumper out against two Cruisers is not wise. Atlantis asks that you rethink this plan.”

“I’m going to stay out of range. I just want them to see me. I’m going to decloak on the far side of the platform in hopes that they travel towards me. If they don’t? I’ll cloak and run.” He ran a hand over the console in front of him. “Don’t worry, Bellissima. I’ll be fine.”

Ford stepped forward. “Sir. Requesting permission to go with you.” 

“Sure. It’ll be fun.” He sighed when Ronon stepped forward as well. “Chewy, you can come too.” 

“Let’s go.”

~*~

Sitting just off the port side of the cloaked weapons platform the cloaked Jumper watched the slowly maneuvering Cruisers. Still keeping power levels low, the Wraith must believe that they are undetectable. 

Good.

“Ready? Hang on, we may be in for a bumpy ride.” John shifted his hands on the controls. “Dropping the cloak…now.”

No sooner had the cloak dropped away then the first Cruiser charged its engines, turning towards the small craft in preparation for firing on it. The second Cruiser followed suit just seconds behind the first. 

“Come on, come on. Come after me.” John banked the Jumper around, giving every indication that they were damaged and having handling problems. “Come on, you bastards. You know you want to catch me…shooting me out of the sky won’t be nearly as much fun.” 

Ford shook his head. “Major, they’re powering up their main cannons. Looks like they’re not in the mood for fun.”

John completed the turn, giving every indication that he was going to try to run. “Come on.” He put his hand over the cloaking mechanism. Just another second or so and he’d have to concede.

“They’re moving towards us!” Ford exclaimed. “Good call, Sir.”

“Atlantis, how much closer to we need to lure them?”

“Almost there, John.” Elizabeth answered. “Hold your position. Be ready to jump on my mark.” 

“Standing by.” John looked at his two friends, “Ronon, make sure you’re belted in. Ford, keep your hand on the cloak.”

“Now, John. Cloak and run.” Ford slapped on the cloak even as John engaged the Jumper in an escape trajectory. Milliseconds later the weapons platform fired two blinding bursts, catching both Cruisers broadside. The vessels hung still in space, explosions continuing to rock them, before slowly beginning to disintegrate. John could hear the cheers from the control room. He exchanged a shaky smile with Ford, a fist pump with Ronon. 

“Let’s go home.”

~*~

John had hoped that the power Atlantis now enjoyed would mean fewer meetings like this. He was keenly disappointed that it wasn’t the case.

“Look, Rodney. I said we’d go back to Athos. We _will_ go back to Athos. But the truth of the matter is, we don’t have to run there now. We’ve got seven fully powered ZPMs. Three of them will fully power Atlantis for more than a thousand years! Can I have a week? Even a long weekend?”

“Right, right. You’re right. It’s just…” Rodney sighed. “No, you’re right. It can wait. But we can schedule the trip, right? Get it on the books?”

“Sure, Rodney. Get together with Ford and set it up.” He shifted his laptop screen to see what else they had to cover. “Speaking of ZPM’s. I think we should take a full one to M76-677. The kids could use the fresh power. Plus? We should set up a shield on the mainland. Can you get some of your guys working on that?”

“You just want to flirt with Keras, but I suppose it’s a good idea. As for the mainland, we have a shield ready, we just needed power.” Rodney smiled. “That’s not a problem anymore.”

“Good. Finally, we’re going to have to contact Earth.” John winced when Elizabeth’s form flickered. Atlantis wasn’t happy about that. “I don’t know why they haven’t tried to contact us but now that we have the means we need to take that step.”

Ronon shifted. “Will you be returning to your home world?”

John thought how best to answer. “Some of the people here may choose to return, but this is my home. I’m staying.”

“Even if your military recalls you?” Teyla sounded skeptical. She knew John had answered to those of greater rank than he held before.

“A large portion of the military here has come to me, requesting that they be allowed to stay. We’ve been discussing the possibility of declaring our independence of Earth. Hell, we’ve lived without them for over five years. We haven’t finalized anything, but that’s where we’re leaning.”

Teyla smiled. “That is wonderful. They will not try to force you?”

It was Ford’s turn to smile. “Only until the part where we tell them we have drones, laser cannons, shock weapons and enough power to destroy the Earth if they push too hard. We’re pretty sure they’ll see it our way.”

Ronon snorted. Maybe Ford was okay. Maybe the eye was just an eye. Maybe the Earthers knew more than he’d given them credit for.

“So. I’m meeting with the military presence tonight. Rodney’s meeting with the civilians. We’ll get a vote. Those that want to go back, we’ll try to work something out for them. Those that want to stay? We’ll be Atlanteans.” The lights in the room brightened at his words.

“God, she gets all _sparkly_ for you. It’s sick.” Rodney slumped back in his seat, arms crossed, chin down. John recognized it as his ‘grumpy’ mode. He’d see what he could do about that later.

“Aw, don’t be jealous, Rodney. Just ‘cause Bella loves me best.” John laughed when Rodney flung his pen at him. Better.

“If there’s nothing else? We’ll dismiss and I’ll have the vote results for you at tomorrows briefing. Either way, we dial Earth and 08:00.” 

~*~

The gate well floor was packed with spectators, both military and civilian. John had been surprised but pleased to discover only two of the civilians and one military asset planned on returning permanently to Earth. 

The command staff had discussed the terms they wanted to offer Earth. They’d agreed. Now it was up to Stargate Command and the militaries of the Earth. John was confidant they held the upper hand. He intended to keep it that way.

“Dial it up…Chuck.” John snickered.

“Smooth, Sheppard. What are you, twelve?” Rodney fought to keep his nerves in check. Leave it to Sheppard to pull a dumb joke out of his vast repertoire to calm him down.

“Stargate Command, this is Atlantis Base. Do you copy?”

The familiar voice of Walter returned almost immediately. “We copy, Atlantis. It’s good to hear your voice, Major Sheppard. General Landry is on his way to the gate room. Stand by.”

John cut his mike so he could talk to Rodney without the SGC hearing. “Good thing we’re not under attack…since we’re standing by.” 

“Major Sheppard. It’s good to see you, all of you. What is your situation?”

“Sir. Up until very recently we didn’t have enough power to run our shields but we’ve had a turn for the better. We are able to now operate at full capacity.” He paused. He might as well just get it started. Delay wasn’t going to make it any easier.

“General Landry. We have suffered; we’ve lost comrades and seen unimaginable terrors. But we have survived, even thrived, as an independent city-state. General, we are no longer affiliated with Earth. We do not place ourselves under your authority.”

General Landry’s face flushed with displeasure. “Sheppard, what you’re suggesting is mutiny.”

“No sir. We’re not mutineers. We are survivors. Earth abandoned us. The gate recorded no efforts on your part to connect with us. You sent no vessels. No reinforcements, no aid. We are not in the wrong.”

Before the General could work up a head of steam, John decided to lay out the deal they’d agreed on. “That being the case, we request a trading partnership. Earth and Atlantis. If you agree to the terms of the trade agreement we offer we can mutually benefit our peoples.”

“And what does the city-state of Atlantis have to offer that we could possibly need?” the General sneered. 

“Power.” At John’s gesture Zelenka and Rodney rolled a cart into view. On it stood a gleaming Zero Point Module. “I’m assuming you recognize this object?”

“You found yourselves a ZPM. Good for you. As impressive as they are, Sheppard, what’s one ZPM going to do for Earth that would make overlooking your desertion and mutiny possible?”

“Kind of a bastard, aren’t you General.” John smiled when the General choked back an angry reply. “We don’t just have a ZPM, General. We have an unlimited supply of them. And an unlimited supply of drone weapons. We can literally light up your world, General. Clean, unlimited energy.” Oh, the General was hooked now.

“How much is Earth prepared to offer, General? How willing are you to negotiate with us for the potential to save your own planet and those of your allies? I suggest you get someone in that can negotiate with us. What do you say, General? Do we have a deal?”

“I’ll contact Homeworld Security. They’ll send a negotiator. I think we can safely assume they will accept whatever terms you want, Sheppard.” Hell, left to Landry, he’d give them all medals and tickertape parades if it meant that kind of power for Earth. It didn’t make him like Sheppard any better.

“As a token of our willingness to trade, we’re sending this fully charged ZPM through. With it, when you have your negotiating team in place, contact us and arrange a trip to Pegasus. We’ll be waiting.” 

John looked out, over the assembled people watching their history be made. “Sheppard out.” The noise of two hundred people breaking into applause was deafening. 

“Think it’s going to work?” Rodney asked.

“It’ll take a miracle.” John replied. They grinned at each other at the shared memory. “We should trade for movies. And video games.”

“Coffee.” Zelenka offered. “Please, Major. Coffee.”

“Oh, chocolate. Chocolate _and_ coffee.” Rodney moaned.

“Perhaps we should make lists?” Teyla suggested. “Perhaps you should start with cloth. You all need uniforms. Atlantean uniforms.”

John rocked back on his heels. He hadn’t thought that far ahead. They’d need more than uniforms. “We need to make some decisions about how we’re going to run things. Military protocol, city by-laws. Stuff like that.” He sighed. More meetings. 

“Get your ideas together for the mornings briefing. Grodin, put a message up on the server. Suggestions for our new government welcome. Keep it clean.” 

Peter laughed. “Right away, Major.”

Rodney pulled John away from the still-crowded gate well. “I have a suggestion for your new military rules.”

“Do you? And what would that be?”

“That it be acceptable for me to do this…” he leaned in and brushed his lips over John’s. “…and this,” he nibbled on the side of John’s neck.

“Oh. Well.” John eased back, just enough to look Rodney in the eye. “I’ll be happy to take that suggestion under advisement, Rodney. Would you care to come to my quarters and explain it in more detail? Just so I’m sure I understand where you stand.”

“Yeah.” Rodney smiled. It felt so good, so right to be with this man, at this moment in time. “Yeah, I could do that. Lead the way.”

Atlantis brightened the deck plates under their feet, but they were too wrapped up in each other to notice. 

“You romantic devil, you.” Elizabeth teased. 

“My JohnSheppard will no longer be sad.” Bella said. She felt satisfaction. “They will need time to work out their path. I will not interfere.” Elizabeth cocked her eyebrow. 

“I’m proud of you, Bella. You show great restraint.” 

“Do not think I cannot understand your sarcasm,” Bella huffed. “I will allow them their time. Then? When I feel they are ready? I will show them the reproduction pods in my lower levels.” Elizabeth felt Atlantis’ smile. She almost felt bad for John and Rodney but that portion of her that retained Elizabeth Weir's sense of humor was delighted with the image of John Sheppard talking his Bellissima out of making him pregnant. 

“Promise me you’ll take a picture of his reactions, Bella. That’s all I ask.” 

In the meantime, she would help them make their lists, organize their command structure. It was a new day. A good day. Their people had the power they needed to survive, to thrive. To rid the galaxy of the Wraith once and for all.

It was a future worth working for.


End file.
